A sock monkey is a type of stuffed toy made from hosiery and fashioned in the likeness of a monkey.

The sock monkey probably evolved in the 1910s or early 1920s from dolls made from discarded socks. The earliest known claim to making the monkey dolls dates to 1919. Sock monkeys made from red-heeled socks could not have appeared before 1932, the year the Nelson Knitting Company of Rockford, Illinois added the trademarked red heel to its product. The Red-Heel brand sock has included instructions on how to sew a sock monkey in every package sold since the mid 1950s, after widespread application of the product in the field of monkey manufacturing by inventive homemakers became apparent to the company. Most "vintage" sock monkeys found today are probably not older than the late 1950s. Many date from the 1970s.

Sock monkeys remain a popular toy to this day, although not as prevalent as teddy bears. The manner in which sock monkeys are made and the materials used in their creation remain mostly unchanged from the initial toys, though great variety exists. One change is that the old rags and dried grain that was once used for stuffing, have been replaced with polyfil and other synthetic fibers. Indeed, some modern sock monkeys are not even made from socks at all.

Sock monkeys in popular culture

• The alternative comic Sock Monkey by artist Tony Millionaire features a sock monkey named Uncle Gabby as its protagonist.
• In 2001, the popular ITV Digital advert campaign featured Johnny Vegas and a knitted monkey called Digital Monkey.
• The 2004 Penn Jillette novel Sock is written from the perspective of a sock monkey named Dickie.
• Designer Paul Frank sells a line of merchandise featuring a sock-monkey-like character named Julius.
• A 2004 film short by puppet filmmaker Justin Bastard Sane explored The Secret Lives of Sock Monkeys.

See also

• Arts and crafts
• Americana
• Stuffed animal

External links

• Midway Village & Museum Center Rockford Illinois museum that houses exhibits and collections on sock monkeys and red heel socks
• Instructions For Making The Red-Heel Sock Monkey Toy
• How to make Sock Monkey

Dolls